How Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan Brought HBCU Classic To Allegiant Stadium

Next month, Grambling State University and Jackson State University will bring the spirit of Historically Black Universities (HBCUs) to Allegiant Stadium for the inaugural Las Vegas HBCU Classic at the venue. The initiative, set to empower the legacies of HBCUs, is spearheaded by Sandra Douglass Morgan, the President of the Las Vegas Raiders.

As the first Black and Asian woman to serve as an NFL team president, Morgan is excited to continue the Raiders’ history of breaking the mold and setting new precedents.

Historically, in 1968, then owner Al Davis drafted Tennessee State quarterback Eldridge Dickey, the first Black quarterback selected in the first round by an NFL team. He also was the first NFL owner in the modern era to hire a black head coach with the appointment of Art Shell in 1989. Additionally, Davis was first NFL owner to hire a Latino head coach, Tom Flores in 1979, and to hire a female chief executive, Amy Trask in 1997. He also refused to have the Raiders play in any city where Black and white players had to stay in separate hotels.

“I mentioned it to our team owner, Mark Davis, [and] said, ‘Hey, there’s a potential for the HBCU Classic. But it would be in the middle of a football season, so we would have to make sure we were at an away game or something.’ And he didn’t even let me finish and said, ‘Get it done. Absolutely.’ I didn’t even have a chance to run through numbers, tickets, anything. He just said, ‘Get it done,’” explained the Las Vegas native during an insightful video chat with VIBE.

“I knew he had a history and the team has had a history and his father’s had a history with Eddie Robinson and Grambling. But for us it was just kind of a no-brainer to want to host this to kind of highlight not just Grambling, but HBCUs in general.”

She continued, “Having this history here and being able to use a world-class stadium that we’re very lucky to play in every week, like Allegiant Stadium, we know this game is about more than football. It’s about honoring the tradition of HBCUs, creating opportunities for visibility, reinforcing our commitment to non-traditional. I think people who have served in different roles at every level of the game. Whether it be a player, a coach, in business operations, in marketing, in finance, that is what I think this game… It represents so much more than a football game. It truly represents Black excellence at every level in the organization.”

While this year is the first HBCU classic at Allegiant, it is hopefully not the last.

“We truly hope that Las Vegas will take advantage of this opportunity and our city and our residents. And even those visiting from afar will take this opportunity to truly understand and learn more about HBCUs, celebrate their tradition, their legacy, and see their excellence first and foremost, right in front of their eyes,” remarked Douglass Morgan.

She later added, “We definitely hope that this is a game that [will] continue, and a movement and a weekend that can continue to grow. I know that there are other HBCU Classics and games around the country. But having it done this way for the first time at Allegiant Stadium, we hope it’ll be incredibly accessible. People love to come to Las Vegas and we hope that they support this weekend. And [we] definitely hope with the turnout over October 25th, that it will be something that can continue to happen and grow in the future.”

Ahead of the main event, there will be a pep rally, and separate alumni mixer providing ticketholders the opporutnity to network with one another, celebrate culture. Preceding the game will be a traditional tailgate experience and after the Sunday after the 5th quarter, a gospel brunch is scheduled, highlighting talented performers from across HBCUs.

Ofiicially, the Las Vegas HBCU classic takes over Sin City from Oct. 24-26. While Douglass Morgan did not attend an HBCU herself, her organic excitement can be attributed to her passion for the Black community and recognizing the importance in supporting the legacies of the historic institutions on a national scale. She is also a member Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., which was founded at Howard University in 1908.

“I just can’t believe it’s around the corner,” she exclaimed. “We just really cannot wait to host two incredible institutions for the first time in Allegiant Stadium, Grambling State and Jackson State. Just such iconic institutions in and of itself and what they’ve been able to do for Black culture, the community, and just higher education in general. It’s just going to be an incredible event.”

Tickets for the inaugural Las Vegas HBCU Classic at Allegiant Stadium and additional events are available on the official website.